"Having a number one album isn't important," Tulisa told BBC Newsbeat.

"Let me tell you something, do you know how many artists go to number one in the charts and they release on a certain week because they know that in that week they have more chance of going to number one?

"Then they drop out of the album charts a week later and they might have sold 100,000 when they could have sold 400,000."

Tulisa added: "For me, just like with N-Dubz, I don't care about having a number one album, I care about going platinum.

"I care about the overall sales. What's the point in having a number one but people saying, 'She only sold 60,000 though'? I don't want that."

"Most people these days kind of drop the one single and then the album but that was one thing I said I would never do," she explained. "I have to put the background work in. I've got to give people a reason to buy it."

Tulisa concluded: "I want to prove myself this year, more than ever, as a musician and as a solo artist."

The X Factor judge's new single 'Live It Up' will be available to download in the UK from September 9.